Background:

Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER) is an international non-profit aid organization with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland and works in more than 30 countries in the field of development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER) country office in Iraq wants to recruit a communications Consultant for the country office.

General job description:

Communications constitute an important core part of the development and humanitarian work. Communications is a tool to keep relevant stakeholders in country, and beyond, informed on and engaged in the activities undertaken and also in promoting activities the organization would like to carry out in Iraq.

HEKS/EPER expects its personnel to behavior in accordance with local culture and traditions. The incumbent assures the moral protection of the name of HEKS/EPER and upholds in all circumstances the interests of the organization.

HEKS/EPER intervenes without any affiliation to politics, religion, or financial profit. The incumbent will direct his or her activities and engagements without preoccupation of political, racial or religious affiliation.

Main responsibilities:

• Manage internal and external communications and visibility of Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER) interventions in country.
• Be responsible for designing and delivering a range of communications products, including fact sheets, briefing materials, program success stories, photos and videos, interviews with beneficiaries, blog posts.
• Organize events, workshops, trainings, high level visits, forums and write minutes.
• Manage and feed the organizations social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Contribute to develop communication platforms among partners.
• Develop and maintain a communications strategy for the organization.
• Train and coach program staff on external communications and on how to spot and share relevant information, gather data, and human-interest stories from their work to convey the interventions success and impact on peoples’ lives.
• Reporting on project sponsorships.
• Performing other duties when needed

Focused responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, and manage our social media strategy after conducting competitive research, platform determination, messaging, and audience identification
• Creating consistent, meaningful content on all social media platforms, including plan, edit, create, publish, and share daily content (including original text, graphic, images and videos or HTML).
• Managing a high volume of daily social media posts.
• Preparing weekly and monthly reports on social media activities.
• Stay up to date with the latest social media best practices and technologies.
• Prepare speeches and organize speaking engagements.
• Research and identify new platforms, best practices, and trends in social media and digital.
• Provide constructive feedback.
• Performing other duties when needed.

Required qualities: organized, sense of human relations, diplomacy, communication skills.

Desirable: proactive, autonomous, rigorous, analytical, willingness and motivation to work in an international and intercultural context.

1. Experience working within an international NGO is preferred, at least two years.
2. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (journalism, humanitarian affairs, etc.) and at least two years of relevant work experience.
3. Work experience in communications, journalism, or documentation, ideally from an international development humanitarian organization.
4. A demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards and humanitarian values.
5. Demonstrated experience in producing public relations and/or visibility materials in different media.
6. Understanding of the development and humanitarian contexts in Iraq. Knowledge of Iraqi’s regions would be an advantage.
7. Experience with social accounts and blogs highly desirable.
8. Practice in conducting training and workshops would be an asset.
9. Strong written communication and editing skills (including creative writing) with the ability to make complex information and data accessible to the non-expert.
10. Experience in graphic design/layout for publications desirable.
11. Familiarity with photography, videography, and script-writing would be an asset.
12. Must be culturally and gender-sensitive both in personal interactions and communication.
13. Fluency in Local languages (Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkmani) and English, all verbal and written is required.
14. Ability to work in unstable, uncertain or potentially dangerous environments, independently and in a team.
15. Computer literacy: proficiency in MS Word, MS Power Point, and MS Publishing or other publishing software required.
16. Reliable to handle confidential and sensitive information.
17. Previous experience in emergency response is appreciated.

Interested candidates should submit their Application CV and Cover Letter to the address:

recruitmentiraq@heks-eper.org

not later than 14^th of Sep 2022 12pm

specifying in the e-mail subject:

HEKS/IQ/HR/22/014

• Only PDF applications will be considered.
• Please note that any late application or incomplete submission will not be considered and thus will be disregarded immediately.
• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
• Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

The tasks and responsibilities defined in this job description are not exhaustive and can evolve depending on the project needs.